Process for extracting petroleum by underground workings



Sept. 9 1924.

J. L. RICH PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING PETROLEUM BY UNDERGROUND WORKINGS,Filed May 31, 1923 Patentedflsept. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,507,711 PATENT OFFICE.

.rorm L. RICH, or o'rrawa, Kansas.

PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING PETROLEUM BY UNDEBGBOUND-WOBKING-S.

Application filed Kay 31, 1928. Serial No. 642,666.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JOHN L. RICH, a c1t1-zen of the United States, residing at Ottawa,

in the county of Franklin and State of Kansas, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Processes for Extracting PetroleumbyUnderground Workings, of which the following is a specification.

' It is well knowrrthatthe common method of recovering petroleum fromits underground reservoirs by means of wells, fails 4 to extract morethan a small percentage of terranean drainage into tunne s driven withinthe oil sand, while it has been successful in recovering a largepercentage of the 011, is dangerous and costly because of the fact thata spark from a pick striking hard rock or from an other cause issufiicient to set fire to the oil seeping into the galleries. Theprecautions which must be taken to guard against the spread of a firethrough the mine and against explosions, add greatly .to the cost ofthis m'ethod of oil recovery.

There is, further, a large loss of the more volatile constituents of theoil by evaporation into the strong currents of air necessary for theproper ventilation of the mines.

The present, invention is primarily designed to obviate the greater partof the difliculties and. dangers inherent 1n the method of recoveringetroleum by mming as heretofore practice while at the same time itretains the advantages of the increased percentage of recovery WhlCh themining method makes possible.

' e Other ob'ects will be apparent from the following etaileddescription and the appended claims.

In the drawings 4 Fi re 1 is across sectionof a conventiona form showingthe relation of galleries and channels to theoil-bearin stratum, bothfor cases where the g ery'1s driven below the sand. I Figure 2 is alongitudinal section through a shaft, gallery, and channel, showingdiagrammatically their relations to each other and also illustrating amethod of ventilation designed to prevent the escape of gases into thegallery while channeling is in progress. Figpre 3 shows in detail ameans for closg t e top of a channel so thatthe gases ar1sing therefromdo not escape into the galleiiy but may be drawn off through the chan-Fi re 4 shows a different form of device for cosmg the top of a channelwhich is su1table for carrying oil and saving a larger volume of as thancould be cared for by the device i ustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a. diagrammatic ground plan showing shafts, galleries,channels and pits v or wells in the channels for the collection of theoil prior to its removal by pumps; and

showing also wells extending from the surface of the ground to the oilsand, through which wells fluids may beintroduced into the oil sand, forthe pur ose of driving the oil out into the channe s in the alleries.

Figure 6 is a section along the hue 66 of Figure 5, showing themovementof the fluids introduced into the wells and their relation to the oilsand, galleries and chan nels.

The process constituting my invention cons1sts primarily of certainbroad steps:

1 driving tunnels or galleries in the rocks e1t er close above or closebelow the oildriven above the oil sand and where it is bearing stratum,and from these galleries cutting narrow slits or channels into orthrough the oil-bearing stratum, these 0 erations bein performed bymeans of a c anneling mac ine such as commonly employed in rockuarryingoperations, or by any. desired suitable means; (2) providing meanswhereby gases issuing from the channel while it is being cut, orsubsequently, may be removed and saved without contaminating the air ofthe galleries; and 3) providin means whereby, if desired, oi may beforced into the channels cut as above specified, by artificial pressureapplied to the oil-bearing stratum through the agency of fluidsintroduced into 'it through wells drilled to it from the surface of theground-- than true sand. From this shaft to as the oil sand, although itmay be composed wholly or in part of materials other 1 a gallery ortunnel 3, or a plurality of such alleries, is driven in the rock eitherclose a ove the oil send as illustrated in the left hand portion ofFigure 1, or close below said oil sand as shown in the right handportion of this figure. These galleries are of any suitable orconvenient dimensions and shape and are preferabl constructedapproximately par,- allel to t e oil sand. I prefer to drive the galleryabove the oil sand, and have so described the further details of theprocess,

but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to eitherarrangement.

From the gallery 3 a relatively narrow slit or channel 4 is cut into orthrough the oil sand by means of an ordinary rock channeling machine A,or by any other suitable device. This channel may be of any desiredwidth or depth, and may be situated at any convenient position. in thegallery. It will, as a rule, extend for the full length of'the gallery,butima be made shorter if desired, or may be ma e u of a number ofsections that are not direct y connected with each other. At convenientplaces along the gallery, there are provided pits or shallow wells 5 inthe oil sand in such position that the oil may drain from the channelsinto them. From these pits or wells the oil may be pumped out to thesurface of the ground by any suitable .pumps and systems of pipingn(notshown).

order to prevent the contamination of the air of the galleries by theases which issue from the channel as it is eing cut, a tube. or othersuitable air conductor '6 extends'down the shaft and along the gallery.It is connected at its outer end to a suction or exhaust fan or air pumof any desired type (not shown) and by t is means a ourrent is inducedsubstantially as shown by the arrows in Figure 2. The gases or impureair are drawn out through the tiibe 6, while fresh air passes down theshaft 1, along the gallery 3, and past the open part of the channel 4 atthe point where the rock channeling machine A'is at work, and thencethrough the tube 6. The channeling machine and adjacent portions of thechannel are inclosed by a flexible hood 7 of suitable design and size,connected to the end of the tube 6.

It is intended to cover portions of the channel 4 as com leted by somesuitable device to prevent t e esca 'e of the gas from the channel intothe ga eries. The precise character of the covering device w1ll depend uon the volume of gas to be handled and 0t er considerations. Where thevolume of gas to be handled is not large, the channel may be coveredwith a semi-cylindrical pipe or tile 8, as shown in Figure 3,

which may be connected at intervals with the exhaust air pipe 6 topermit the escape of gas from the c annel 4. Provision may also be madefor the removal of sections ofthe covering 8 at desired places for thepurpose of cleanin out the accumulations of mud or sand w ich may havegathered in the channel. The channel cover 8 ma be made gas tight by theapplication 0 cement, mud, or other sealing compound 9 along the edgesof the members 8, as shown in Flgure 3.

If the volume of gas is very large, and its confinement to the channel 4might produce undue pressure, a device such as illustrated in Figure 4may be used to cover the channel. This consists of a strip of sheetmetal 10 bent into convenient shape as shown in Figure 4, and having itsedges 11 inserted in the channel as shown. The junction of the metalsheet with the mouth of the channel may be made gas-tight by theapplication of cement, mud or some similar sealing compound 12 at theside of the sheet as shown.

From the shaft 1, a single gallery with its channel may be driven, orseveral may be driven in various directions, and the oil to be recoveredmay be limited to that which naturally seeps into the channels. However,if the oil recovery contemplated by this invention is to be carried outmost effectively, artificial pressure must be placed upon the oil sandto assist in forcing the oil out into the channels.

With this end in view, the shafts, channels, galleries and oilcollecting wells may be arranged somewhat as diagrammaticallyillustrated in Figure 5, except that the ga leries need not inclose aregular area as there shown. Situated with proper relation to thegalleries and channels, and preferably within the area inclosed orpartly inclosed by the galleries one or more wells 13 aresunk from thesurface of the ground and properly cased. These wells may or may not beshot with nitro-glycerine, as is-found expedient. Into these wells 13,water, steam, air, gas, or other fluid, or combination of these fluidsmay be forced under pressure sufficient to cause these fluids todisplace the oil from its place in the sand and cause it to move towardand into the channels 4 and thence into the wells 5 from whence it is,pumped as above stated. The general movement of fluids thus set up isshown diagrammatically in Figure 6.

Obviously variations may be made in the structure employed to carry outthe process, and steps of the process may be used without others. Ingeneral it is to be understood that the invention is limited only by thescope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. A process for the extraction of petroleumwhich comprises forming tunnels or galleries adjacent to the oil-bearingstratum, cutting narrow slits or channels from said galleries into theoil-bearin stratum, and forming depressions in said 0 annels for thecollection of the oil, from which it may be removedas desired.

2. A process for the extraction of petroleum which comprises formintulmels or galleries adjacent to the oil-bearing stratum, cuttin slitsor channels from said galleries into t e oil-bearing stratum, andpreventing escape of gas into the gallery while the channel is beingcut.

3. A process for the extraction of petroleum which comprises sinking ashaft to a point adjacent to the oil-bearing stratum, forming a tunnelor gallery adjacent said stratum, cutting slits or channels from thegallery into said stratum, and drawin ofi through the shaft the gasesfrom the c annel as it is being cut thereby preventing the escape ofsaid gases into the gallery.

4. A process for the extraction of petroleum which com rises forming agallery adjacent to the oilearing stratum, cuttin a channel from saidgallery into 'sai stratum, drawing off the gases from the channel as itis formed, and closing said channel as completed, whereby said gases areprevented from escaping mto the gallery.

5. A process for the extraction of petroleum which comprises forming agallery adjacent to the oil-bearing stratum, cutting a channel from saidgallery into said stratum, forming depressions in said channel for thecollection of oil, sinking a well into the oil-bearing stratum, andforcing fluids under pressure through said well into saild stratum todrive the 011 into said channe s.

6. A process for the extraction of petroleum which comprises sinking ashaft to a point adjacent the oil-bearing stratum, forming a galleryleading from said shaft, cutting a channel from said galle into saidstratum, preventing the escape 0 gas from said channel into the gallery,forming depressions in said channel for the collectionof oil, sinking awell into the oil-bearing stratum, and forcing fluid under pressurethrou hthe well into the stratum to drive the oil into said channels.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name. a

JOHN L. RICH.

